I started doing top ten lists over 5 years ago. So one list that’s been increasingly popular over the years has been The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time series. Debate over which is hotter than the other has been going on for a very long time. Finally, one thing’s for sure, South Korean varieties dominate this list.
The Definitive Guide To Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun
One variety that has captivated the world is Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun. The ‘Fire Noodle Challenge’ is something of legend; people will try to eat a bowl of the spicy noodles as fast as they can and then (usually in a YouTube video), the reaction to the heat is seen, ranging from silence to screaming, calmness to dripping sweat.
The viral mania of this challenge has finally prompted me to release a special series on the varieties and some info on them you might not know. I have included a boatload of information in this post – check out the video as well as all the information below it!
- UPDATE: 12/21/2018 – Added new 10,000SHU Hek Buldak Bokkeummyun & Buldak Bokkeummyun Gyoza Dumplings
- UPDATE: 4/1/2018 – Added Jjang Buldak Bokkeummyun and Squid Snack
- UPDATE: 1/8/2018 – Added Carbo Buldak Bokkeummyun
- UPDATE – 12.18.2017 – Mala is NOT 4x Spicy !!
- UPDATE – 09.07.2017 – Added Buldak Bokkeummyun Mala variety
Video Presentation
This is a presentation I’ve made including lots of informational as well as me taking down a bowl of the 2x Spicy noodles.
Varieties
HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen / 불닭볶음면 / Buldak Bokkueummyun / Launch 2012.4.16 / SHU 4,404
The original ‘Fire Noodle.’ This comes in packs, bowls and cups. The bowls are commonly used in the popular YouTube ‘Fire Noodle Challenge’ videos. Full review
HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen Cheese / 치즈불닭볶음면 / Cheese Buldak Bokkueummyun Launch 2016.3 / SHU 2,323
Significantly less fiery than the original Buldak Bokkeummyun, the cheese version includes a sachet of cheese powder. Available in pack, cup and bowl. Originally was sold in packs with a black background, however people mistook it for the original version. A more ‘cheese colored’ background was then chosen. Full review
HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen Stew Type / 불닭볶음탕면 / Buldak Bokkueumtangmyun Launch 2016.8 / SHU 4,705
The ‘Stew Type’ has (you guessed it) broth. These are available in packs and bowls. I have seen many people make the original variety incorrectly and enjoy it as a soup, but this one is meant to have a broth. Full review
HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen Cool/Ice Type / 쿨불닭볶음면 / Cool/Ice Buldak Bokkueummyun Launch 2016.8 / SHU 4,404
I believe this is only available in packs. Originally called ‘Cool,’ the folks at Samyang decided it might be a good idea to market it as ‘Ice’ outside of South Korea so nobody got confused. Full review
2X Spicy HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen / 핵불닭볶음면 / Hack Buldak Bokkueummyun / Launch 2016.1 / SHU 8,808
A double-spicy version of original Buldak Bokkeummyun. These are available in packs and bowls. They mention that they are a ‘limited edition,’ but I couldn’t find out when they would be discontinued. Full review
HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen Curry / 커리불닭볶음면 / Curry Buldak Bokkueummyun Launch 2016.12 / SHU 3,810
The most recent (as of this guide’s release) is Curry. It is available in packs and bowls. Less spicy than the original Buldak Bokkeummyun, it has a nice curry flavor to it. Full review
MALA BULDAK BOKKEUMMYEON (HOT CHICKEN FLAVOR RAMEN MALA)
Mala Buldak Bokkeummyun is NOT 4x Spicy !!
SPECIAL STATEMENT AS OF 12/19/2017: It has come to my attention that many places/people are under the impression that this variety is considered to be ‘Samyang Foods 4x Spicy Buldak Bokkeummyun.’ This is definitely NOT the case. Original Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun is 4,404SHU, 2x Spicy is 8,706SHU. I have been informed by Samyang Foods that Samyang Foods Mala Buldak Bokkeummyun is 2,700SHU – which is far less spicy than the original Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun. Sellers claiming this product as Samyang Foods 4x Spicy Buldak Bokkeummyun – this is misleading and untrue. I’ve mentioned in the past that I would love to try a Samyang Foods 4x Spicy Buldak Bokkeummyun, however NO SUCH PRODUCT EXISTS at the time of this update.
This is a differentiated ‘Mala(numbing and spicy)’ flavor of BULDAK BOKKEUMMYEON(HOT CHICKEN FLAVOR RAMEN).
It features a spicy numbing stir-fry noodle with Chinese ‘Mala’ sauce.
It’s a combination of numbing spicy taste and the original flavor of Hot Chicken. This one has some spiciness from Sichuan pepper to appeal to Chinese tastes. Full review
Carbo HOT Chicken Flavor / Carbo Buldak Bokkeummyun ‘ SHU 2,600 * Launched December 2017
Carbo is a variety celebrating the billionth serving of Buldak Bokkeummyun sold. At first, the thought crossed my mind that Carbo was referring to lower carbs; a health conscious version perhaps. This is actually short for carbonara. I asked the company about whether is contained pork or was HALAL. As of January 8th, 2018, it is not HALAL certified but will be soon. Also, neither this nor any of the Buldak Bokkeummyun range contains pork or pork products as mentioned by the company. Full review here
Jjajang HOT Chicken Flavor / Jjajang Buldak Bokkeummyun – SHU 1,920 * Launched March 2018
Jjajang debuted March of 2018. It is on the lower end of the spectrum as far as spiciness goes in the Buldak Bokkeummyun series, however it has a very good flavor. Jjajang is a spicy black bean sauce and this one also includes vegetables such as peas. Here’s the full review and a mukbang video.
Korean Updated 2X Spicy HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen / 핵불닭볶음면 / Hack Buldak Bokkueummyun / Launch 2018.12 / SHU 10,000
Recently I saw something about a new Buldak Bokkeummyun in the Korean Samyang Foods instagram. I asked about it and was told it was just coming back. What? Well, the 2x was advertised as for a ‘limited time’ and apparently, it was in South Korea. They brough it back December 3rd, 2018 – however this time it’s 10,000 SHU. This link will take you to the review which contains unboxing, cooking, mukbang, and a special holiday recipe.
SNACKS
Hot Chicken Ramen Snack / 부셔먹는 라면스낵불닭 / Busyeomeongneun Ramyeonseunaek
Buldak / Launch 2016.6
Snack noodles in South Korea are very popular. These are crushed while still in the bag and then the sachet is taken out and sprinkled into the bag. The bag is closed and then you shake it to disperse the flavor. Alternately, there is a cooking instruction on the package as well. Full review
ZZALDDUCK SNACK / 짤떡 / Zzaldduck / Launch 2014.12
These are short tubes with a crunchy texture. They have a sweet and spicy character to them much like a very light Buldak Bokkeummyun seasoning. They resemble macaroni or penne pasta. Full review
Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun Hot Chicken Flavor Squid
Dried squid is a popular Asian snack and this variety packs the heat of original Buldak Bokkeummyun. Here’s the full review.
Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun Hot Chicken Flavor Gyoza Dumpling
U heard about this one and was very interested. I found out it was available north of the border in Canada. We go there pretty often, but it took searching on four trips to find it. These are frozen section spicy little dumplings full of Buldak Bokkeummyun spiciness and flavor. They pretty good and I did this review where I paired them with the Stew Type – check it out!
Correct Preparation Of Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun
1) Put the noodles and flakes into 600ml boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
2) Please remove the water from noodles (reserve 8 spoons of water (120ml = 15ml * 8 or 1/2 cup)) and put liquid soup Into noodles, stir-fry 30 seconds.
3) Add flakes, stir well, and serve.
Interview
I was fortunate to be able to interview Amelia Kwak / Overseas sales support team / Brand manager on the subject of Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun line of products.
THE RAMEN RATER> How did you originally come to decide to produce a super spicy instant noodle?
SAMYANG FOODS> Kim Jung-Su, the president of our company, noticed people crowded in a restaurant which served spicy chickens and had an idea to develop a new stir-type of instant noodle. Our marketing and R&D team tried more than 1,200 spicy chicken dishes and 2 tons of spicy sauce to find deliciously spicy tastes. We finally discovered the best portion of spicy sauce and launched ‘Buldak Bokkeummyun’.
TRR> What about the risks in producing a product that many will not be able to handle due to spicy level?
SAMYANG FOODS> Actually, Koreans like spicy tastes so we thought there’s customer needs of spicy ramen so we thought many people like it. However, overseas consumers can’t eat spicy food well, thus we were a little worried about it. Despite of that problem, overseas people also like Buldak. In my opinion, they seem to enjoy the challenge and relieve their stress when they try it.
TRR> What does Buldak Bokkeummyun mean; what is Korean spicy chicken like?
SAMYANG FOODS> It means a Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen. ‘Bulkdak’ means spicy chicken and ‘Bokkeummyun’ means stirred type of noodles. Korean spicy chicken is literally spicy chicken. In Korea, many restaurants usually cook it with very hot flavor adding red pepper, which is more spicy than general Korean food. So, it is hard to eat even for Korean. We added noodle on hot chicken flavor, so we could make characteristic noodle.
TRR> How did the Fire Noodle Challenge originate?
SAMYANG FOODS> Due to extremely spicy taste, Buldak Bokkeummyun mania were formed at first. Then, diverse recipe has been introduced by them, and spread through some Social Network Service channel especially on YOUTUBE. Also, extremely spicy taste has been issued by the public. Based on this issue, people are still challenging to eat it worldwide.
TRR> Did you expect the level of popularity of this super spicy product?
SAMYANG FOODS> We strongly believed the success of “Buldak Bokkuemmyun” because there had been no this kind of stirred type of instant noodles until 2012. We thought many people who like spicy tastes would be addicted to that tastes as our product is characterized in deliciously spicy.
TRR> How do you measure the SHU – is there a special test and how is the number calculated?
SAMYANG FOODS> SHU is a measurement of the spicy heat of chili peppers. Our R&D center analyzes the component of capsaicin and dehydrocapsaicin which cause spicy tastes in liquid soup. Then, we calculate SHU by standard equation.
TRR> Can you detail exactly how you figure out the SHU a little more? Is spectrometry used? What is the standard formula you mentioned?
SAMYANG FOODS> As I told you, SHU (Scoville Heat Unit) is a measurement of the spicy heat of chili peppers. First, we measure the concentration of capsaicin and dehydrocapsacin by using the HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography). Then, we measure scoville heat units by using the equation below. (Although there is no official rule of calculating SHU, we have used the equation which is generally used.)
SHU = ( Dehydrocapsacin conc. X 0.82 + Capsacin conc. ) X 16
※ Concentration unit = μg/g
TRR> The chicken character has changed from it’s original look. Does the chicken have a name and can you tell a little more about the mascot?
SAMYANG FOODS> Name: HOCHI
Birthday : April 13
Character
- Addicted to spicy taste.
- Full of confidence and motivation, but whimsical
Features:
- Having the worst fashion sense and dreaming of being a food stylist.
- A poorly proportioned body
- Poor at housekeeping
- Can eat five packs of HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen at a time.
TRR> There have been a lot of people cooking the original Buldak Bokkeummyun with soup instead of as a dry stir noodle. What are the official cooking instructions for cooking the original Buldak Bokkeummyun on the package (for those who can’t read Korea)?
SAMYANG FOODS> Dry stir noodle type is our official cooking instruction
Below is our instruction appeared in our packing material.
1) Put the noodles and flakes into 600ml boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
2) Please remove the water from noodles(remain 8 spoon of water) and put liquid soup Into noodles, stir-fry 30 seconds.
3) Add flakes, stir well, and serve.
TRR> Exactly how many mL 8 spoons of water are?
SAMYANG FOODS> 8 table spoon of water would be approximately 120ml. (15ml per spoon)
TRR> Other than the container, is there a difference between the pack version and the bowl versions?
SAMYANG FOODS> There is little differences in ingredients because we tried best to minimize those differences. However, you can notice small differences because of cooking method. In a case of bowl type, Stir time is skipped so it’s more spicy than pack version. Actually, noodles release starch during stir time so, spicy taste is relatively relived
TRR> Are there new Buldak Bokkeummyun varieties coming soon? Can you share what they might be?
SAMYANG FOODS> We have launched new Buldak Bokkeummyun series. One is Curry Buldak Bokkeummyun (HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen Curry) and other is Hack Buldak Bokkeummyun (2X spicy Hot Chicken flavor Ramen).
Curry Buldak : In curry Bulkdak, taste of curry and original Buldak have been well balanced. However, it is only for foreign consumers, not be sold in Korea yet.
Hack Buldak : Hack Buldak’s SHU is twice as spicy in comparison to buldak. It is a limited edition so we recommend you to try it. I guess it is the most spicy instant noodle in the world.
THE RAMEN RATER> Thank you for giving my readers the opportunity to find out more about the Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun range!
Nomenclature/Translation/Timeline
This list (click to enlarge) was supplied by Samyang Foods.
Mascot
Name: HOCHI (click image to enlarge)
Birthday : April 13
Character
- Addicted to spicy taste.
- Full of confidence and motivation, but whimsical
Features:
- Having the worst fashion sense and dreaming of being a food stylist.
- A poorly proportioned body
- Poor at housekeeping
- Can eat five packs of HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen at a time.
I want to thank all the great people at Samyang Foods to make this special feature possible, especially Amelia, Taehoon and Joey who helped with making this special series possible. They sent samples and answered so many questions I’ve posed to them kindly.
I also want to thank Colin, a reader from Massachusetts who originally sent me the Ice Type for review, 1theKorea, an eBay seller who was very helpful in sourcing varieties and helping greatly. Moreover, you can find many South Korean instant varieties in his store. Anders and Ji-Min, readers from South Korea for sending some great varieties. Finally, I would like to thank my son Andreas for being so adventurous at the age of 11 to try the 2x spicy. Indeed, spicy food has never been his thing and he ate a big bite and survived! You can see part of the video with us trying the Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun 2x Spicy in the end credits of the above video and our full video in the Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun 2x Spicy review.
This unique instant is very new and quite spicy. What’s interesting about is that you can serve it hot or cold, but the spiciness is going to bite you either way! This is the only variety I’ve found featuring chipotle pepper heat. 
The noodles are good – plump with a nice chewiness. The broth is very spicy and hot – not for the faint of heat! It has a good curry flavor to it. If you like spicy curry, check this one out. By the way, Kari Xtra Pedas means extra hot curry if you couldn’t figure that out! 
Maggi 2 Minute Curry is a nice instant with a little bit of heat, and with the demand for more hotness, they made this new variety. Extra Spicy Curry has a really great flavor to it and a heat that will definitely challenge many. 
When MyKuali’s White Curry Noodle hit this list last year, there was a bit of a craze for it in Malaysia! People really wanted to give it a try. Not only is it retaining it’s spot this year on the spicy list, but it is the reigning number one on 
This one’s a lot of fun; kind of like Russian roulette on a plate! You’re eating your noodles and all of a sudden wham! There’s usually a couple of these little chillies in there and they pack an extreme punch. You’ll definitely know it when you find it! 
Extreme heat is paired with nice bit of seafood broth and lots of bits of seafood. All the fire and flavor melded together with thick ramyun noodles make it hot as well as delicious. This one comes in at 1,960 SHU (Scoville Heat Units). 
On the list for three years now! Another South Korean ramyun with serious kick to it. This isn’t to be trifled with! Teumsae has restaurants in South Korea which serve up some seriously spicy fare. I really like the text underneath the word Teumsae which reads, ‘Flavor. Culture. Human’ 
I would say that I’ve seen dozens of videos of YouTube showing people competitively eating this one. This stuff is extremely hot. Another brothless variety and it really packs a punch as well as has a nice taste to it. Thick ramyun noodles round everything out nicely and will transmit the spicy sauce to your tongue. 
See that little octopus on the package with the smile on his face? He’s laughing. Laughing as he watches you sweat as you eat this ultra spicy ramyun! I’m not kidding this one was over the top spicy! Bring a fire extinguisher. 
For the third year running, this stuff tops the list. See the little guy in the top right? Yeah – it’s not one to underestimate; this is violently hot. The broth just keeps delivering the heat and it’s just insane. Try licking a lit candle – I swear this stuff is hotter! 
1. Prepare the noodle bowl by removing the two sachets and adding boiling water. Poke holes in the top to drain off the water after a few minutes (except for about two tablespoonfuls). The red sachet is the spicy sauce that is stirred in with the noodles which the other contains sesame seeds and short pieces of seaweed.
2. Once the noodles are drained, add the sauce and stir – a lot! Get everything combined well.
3. Drop the triangle kimbap on top and them combine it with the noodles – it breaks up pretty easily. Add some cheese on top and the contents of the sesame seed and seaweed sachet.
